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  • OSHA FALL PROTECTION DIRECTIVE FOR RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES - EFFECTIVE JUNE 16, 2011


    DIRECTIVE FOR RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES

    Under directive 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13) workers engaged in residential construction over 6 feet above the ground level are to be protected by conventional fall protection. For roofers, the 25 foot, ground-to-eave height threshold no longer applies, nor do slide guards as an acceptable form of fall protection, regardless of the roof pitch or height of the roof eave. These new requirements replace the Interim Fall Protection Compliance Guidelines for Residential Construction, Standard 03-00-001 that have been in effect since 1995 and allowed residential builders to bypass fall protection requirements.



    COMPLIANCE DEADLINES

    On June 9, 2011, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a three-month phase-in period to allow residential construction employers to come into compliance with regulation 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13), requiring homebuilders to provide residential construction workers with fall protection. Nationally, the phase-in period runs June 16 to September 15, 2011. Homebuilders have been following an old OSHA directive, STD 03-00-001, and during the phase-in period, OSHA will not issue citations, but will instead issue hazard alert letters to employers, informing them of methods they can use to update their compliance.

    September 15 may seem like a tight deadline, but in Minnesota, the deadline already has been passed. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry stepped up the deadline in their state, stating that "Effective June 16, 2011, employers must follow 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13), which states each employee engaged in residential construction activities six feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels shall be protected by a guardrail system, safety net system, or personal fall-arrest system unless another provision in paragraph (b) of this section provides for an alternate fall protection measure."



    WHAT IS RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION?

    OSHA defines residential construction as work that meets both of the following directives:

    • The primary use of the structure must be as a home.
    • The structure must be built using traditional wood frame construction materials and methods.



    FOR QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE OSHA RULING FOR FALL PROTECTION

    Visit www.osha.gov for the full text of this new directive.